In view of the increasing requirements for fast and reliable optical data transmission paths, optoelectronic components are becoming ever more important. The coupling of these optoelectronic components to optical transmission paths, such as light-conducting fibers or optical printed circuit boards for example, requires a high degree of accuracy of the spatial adjustment of the optoelectronic components in relation to the respective optical data transmission paths in order to achieve a low-loss coupling between the optical components.
In the case of known optical connector systems, as shown for example in FIG. 4, a first connector 100 and a second connector 200 are joined to one another. The end regions of light-conducting fibers 110, 210 are respectively introduced into the connectors 100, 200, so that the respective coupling surfaces of the light-conducting fibers 110, 210 are arranged on the respective front side 120, 220 of the respective connectors 100, 200. An exact adjustment of the respective coupling surfaces in relation to one another is achieved in the case of this shown connector system by means of adjusting pins 250, these adjusting pins 250 being held in the one connector 200 and the other connector 100 having corresponding clearances receiving the adjusting pins 250.
When the two connector parts 100, 200 of the connector system shown in FIG. 4 are joined together, the respective coupling regions of the light-conducting fibers 110, 210 are in this way aligned with one another. After joining together, this connector system can be locked with a clip 300, which has resilient engaging regions 350, which engage behind the respective rear side of the connectors.
Such an alignment of two optical connectors by adjusting pins is also described for example in the article “The MT-RJ connector—how it all fits together” by Eric Leichter, Corning Cable Systems.
Furthermore, in the article from Agilent Technologies: “Agilent Technologies singlemode small form factor (SFF) module incorporates micromachined silicon, automated passive alignment, and non-hermetic packaging to enable the next generation of low-cost fiber optic transceivers”, it is shown how such a connector with two adjusting pins may be constructed.
However, as described at the beginning, the requirement for exact adjustment does not only arise in the case of connectors, but in particular also in the case of the connection of active electrooptical components to corresponding optical transmission paths, for example light-conducting fibers or optical printed circuit boards.